Folding mailing-card.



019"2 AU 2901 EX FIP: 05/?6 XR 131139? R. B. HERTER.

FOLDING MAILING CARD.

APPLICAUON FILED NOV. 20, ma.

1,31 1,397, Patented July 29, 1919. 7

7 a Bmun S-mzs-r NEW YORK 7 Curr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH B. HEBTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ABSIGNOR TO JONES AND BAKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COYARTNEBSKIP COHIOSED OF WILLIAM R. JONES AN'D JACKSON B.

SELLS.

FOLDING MAILING-CARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, RUDOLPH B. HERTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city. county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Mailing-Cards, of which the following is a specification. i

The object of this invention is to provide a mailing card consisting of a main message sheet, a return post card adapted to be detached from the main sheet, and a pair of foldable locking flaps provided with interlocking means, said flaps when folded serving to hold the mailing card in its folded condition, and one of the flaps serving as a covering and protecting means for a part of the return post card. The main body portion of the mailing card and the protecting and covering flap are of greater length than the return post card, and serve to give strength to the card and prevent the acci- :lcntal dctachn'icnt of the return post card.

Another object of the invention is to provide a foldin I mailing card having-interlocked protecting flaps, the purpose being to avoid the necessity of using any additional external means for holding together the folded parts of the mailing card. It is a common practice in the use of foldable mailing cards to secure them in their folded position by means of applied clips or pasters. The clips are detachable. and are ob]ection able for that reason. They are easily accidentally detached while the card is pass ing through the mails. The application of the pasters or seals is expensive, and requires a special operation. In the use of a mailing card constructed in accordance with this invention it is only necessary to bring the two interlocking flaps into proper engagement in order to complete the card for mailing.

In the drawin Figure l is a face new of the card comp etely folded and ready for mailing;

Fig. 2 a view of the card completely unfolded;

Fig. 3 a view of the card with the return post card folded in against the main body of the device;

Fig. 4 a similar view, showing the return post card and one of the locking flaps folded against the body of the card; and

Fig. 5 a. transverse sectional view of the device folded and taken on the line VV of fieferring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the body portion of the mailing card; 2 the return post card, which is shorter than the main body of the card and is ada ted to be detached therefrom, as indicated by the dotted line 2 in Fig. 2. The return post card is adapted to be folded against the inner face of the body of the card. As illustrated in the drawing, the return post card is formed integral with the body of the card at the lower edge thereof, but of course it may be arranged at the upper edge, depending upon the position of the printing on the mailing card. The disposition of the printing would determine which was the top and bottom of the mailing card; but, as hereinbefore stated, as arranged in the drawing, the return post card is at the lower edge of the body part of the card.

Formed integral with the lower edge of the body of the mailing card is a foldable locking flap 3, said flap being formed with a semi-circular locking slot 6. This locking flap is adapted to be folded against the inner face of the body 1 and to lie close to the end of the return post card, as indicated clearly in Fig. 4. Formed integral with the upper edge of the body of the card is a foldable protecting and covering flap 4, this flap being equal in length to the body of the card and serving to partially cover and to lock the return post card and the locking flap 3 against the inner face of the body of the card. The protecting and covering flap is formed with a locking tab or tongue 5, which is adapted to enter the slot 6 of the locking flap 3. The protecting and covering flap almost entirely covers the locking flap 3, and covers aboutone half of the return post card. As shown in Fig. 1, the lower part of the return ost card is exposed, thus affording an ad ress space. On the post card above the address space may be printed any desired message or any deslred information for the person to whom the card is to be sent, and this mesage space is completely covered and protected by the flap 4. It will, of course, be understood that any desired information or message may be printed on that ortion of the return post card which is to be covered by the flap 4. On that side of the return post card which constitutes the inner side of the card when folded, the address of the party sending out the mailing card may be placed, so that when the return post card is detached it may be returned to the sender in the usual way. The protecting and coverin flap 4 is co-extensive in length with the ody of the mailing card, and extends throughout the len h of both the return post card and the loc ing flap 3, so that it forms a substantial support and protection for those folded members or parts of the card. The return post card is preferably separated along one edge from the locki flap 3, as indicated by the cut 7, so as to acilitate the detachment of the return post card. The long protecting and covermg flap 4 extends across the line of division between the post card and the fia 3, and thereby strengthens the card and e ectually prevents the accidental tearing or displace ment of the return post card. In mailing cards of this type it is very desirable that the return post card be made readily detachable from the body of the card, in order that the addressee may return the post card with the smallest amount of elfort on his part.

It is manifest that the mailin card comprises a substantially rectangu ar integral sheet having two longitudinal lines of old 4" and 3 to form the body part 1 which extends the entire length of the sheet; the covering and protecting flap 4 which is e ual in length to the body of the sheet an is desi ed to cover substantially all of the locking flap and the upper half of the return post-card; the locking flap 3 and the return post-card 2. The locking flap andthe return post-card are separated from each other b 'a transverse cut 7 extending inwardly to t e line of fold 3, and the return post-card is adapted to be detached from the bod of the sheet along the weakened part 2" o the line 3.

What I claim is 1. A folding mailing card comprising a body portion, a return post card integral therewith along one edge and readily detached therefrom alongesaid integral connection and adapted to folded against the body part, a locking flap integral withthe body portion along the edge carrying the return post card and separated from the adjoining ed of the return post card and adapted to folded against the body part,

a protectin and covering flap formed integral with t e body portion along the opposite edge from the return card and the looking flap, and equal in length to the body portion of the card and adapted to be folded over to hold the return card and the locking flap against the face of the body part, and interlocking means to connect together the plovering and protecting flap and the looking 2. A folding mailing card comprising a body portion, a return post card integral therewith along one edge and readily detached therefrom along said integral connection and adapted to be folded against the body part, a locking flap integral with the body portion along the edge carrying the return post card and separated from the adjoining edge of the return post card and adapted to be folded against the body part, a protecting and covering flap formed in- 'tegral with the body portion along the oposite edge from the return card and the ockin flap and adapted to be folded over to hol the return card and the locking flap against the face of the body part, said covering flap being equal in length to the body portion of the card and covering the greater part of the locking flap and the upper part only of the folded return card, the lower exposed art of the said return card forming an ad ress space, and a locking tab formed on one of the said flaps and adapted to enter a slot in the other flap to lock the parts in their folded position.

3. A folding mailing card formed of a substantially rectangular sheet having two longitudina 1y extending lines of fold to form a central body portion, an integral return post-card, an mtegral locking flap connected to the body part along one line of the fold, a protecting and coverlng flap formed integral with the body portion along the other line of fold, the return post-card and the locking flap being separated from each other by a transverse cut extending from the edge of the sheet inwardly to one of the lines of fold, and a locking tab formed integral with the covering flap and adapted to enter a slot formed in the locking flap to lock the covering and (protecting fla over the return post-card an the locking ap.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

RUDOLPH B. HERTER. 

